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Climate Resilience

Aichi Biodiversity Target Fifteen – Climate Resilience – focuses on strengthening climate resilience and carbon sequestration through ecosystem restoration. It states: By 2020, ecosystem resilience and the contribution of biodiversity to carbon stocks has been enhanced, through conservation and restoration, including restoration of at least fifteen percent of degraded ecosystems, thereby contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation, and to combating desertification.

Deforestation, wetland drainage, mangrove removal, seagrass bed damage, overgrazing of grasslands and other types of habitat degradation lead to increased emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases, and to increased vulnerability to the impacts of climate change. Restoring degraded ecosystems can simultaneously increase carbon sequestration, improve climate resilience, and restore essential ecosystem services and safeguard biodiversity. In order to achieve Target 15, countries will need to assess the distribution and status of key degraded ecosystems; understand the role of these ecosystems in enhancing climate resilience and sequestering carbon and identify and prioritize key areas for restoration. They will also need to undertake key restoration actions, including restoring natural disturbance regimes, controlling harmful invasive species, managing over-abundant species, recreating native communities, reintroducing species and improving the abiotic environment, among others.